Margam Country Park 55 Flog It!

Today I'm at Margam Country Park, near Port Talbot.

Now, over the years, this castle and its magnificent grounds

have required an army of staff to keep it running,

from housekeepers to maids, gardeners to butlers.

But one of them met a very grisly end

and he's said to haunt this place.

More about that later. Welcome to "Flog It!".

Creating this impressive estate has taken centuries of hard graft.

The Victorian Gothic revival castle took ten years to build

from locally sourced materials, and was home to CRM Talbot,

a wealthy landowner and industrialist.

The impressive Georgian orangery is the longest in Britain and was

carefully crafted by specialist artisans.

Behind that lie the remains of a Cistercian abbey

founded in 1147.

The monks were pioneers of coal mining and the wool trade in Wales.

So this place has been a hive of activity for centuries.

And today is no exception.

Well, the crowds have already started to gather here,

hundreds of them, laden with antiques and collectibles.

Who knows what's hidden in these bags and boxes?

I know they're eager to get started and there's only one question on

everyone's lips, which is...

-ALL:

-What's it worth?

Stay tuned and you'll find out.

Our "Flog It!" team is ready to start today's valuations.

We have our own army of researchers and behind-the-scenes valuers

and our busy cameramen and sound recordists are here to capture everything.

Today's experts are the highly industrious Catherine Southon...

Saucy!

We love a bit of sauce on "Flog it!".

And Charles Hanson,

who can truly be described as an artisan of the antiques world.

In those immortal words, what's languishing in that bag?

Everyone is keen to get started, so here's a glimpse of what's coming up.

Charles is considering an alternative career.

I always think I would make a good Redcoat.

You would have no bother.

Catherine finds an unexpected star of the show.

This is wonderful! Oh, I'm so pleased.

And can pigs really fly?

-Here it goes.

-I can't believe it.

I really can't believe it.

Let's get straight over to the valuation tables and join up with Catherine Southon.

And Catherine's found a piece of Welsh social history.

Patricia, this is a lovely sampler you've brought along.

I'm always interested in samplers.

I'm always interested about how they were done.

And they were often done by children, young girls, of such a young age,

who would make these wonderful pictures up,

often with letters of the alphabet or numbers or pictorial scenes.

This one has been done by a lady called Mary Perrott.

Who was Mary Perrott?

She was my great-great-grandmother.

How wonderful. So this has been handed down through the generations?

Yes, well, it came to me through my aunt.

My aunt died about 20 years ago.

-OK.

-I inherited it from her.

And was it framed?

It was framed, but the frame was in such a poor state,

it was full of woodworm. We had every intention of reframing it,

-but of course, it never happened.

-Never happened, OK.

Well, it's quite...

I'm amazed at the condition of it, because so often,

these get so badly faded and the threads are very loose as well,

so they might come out.

It's lovely to see that we've got the house here, we've got birds,

we've got flowers, we've got some animals going down here.

And what's this at the bottom?

-Is it a church?

-A chapel, I think.

A chapel. You don't know where that is?

Well, she lived in Ebbw Vale, so whether it is local to Ebbw Vale...

-Right.

-..I really don't know.

Well, we can date it precisely because we've got the date, 1847.

I love the cat and the dog.

Of course, yes, the little cat and dog.

-Very sweet.

-The more you look at it, the more you see.

-The more you see.

Do you actually have this on display at home?

It's been on the top of the wardrobe for 20 years.

Has it really?

-Yes.

-But you are happy to sell it?

-Yes.

-Because it is a family piece.

It's a family piece. The children don't want it.

And we've got to the age now, we've got to get rid of some stuff.

Got to move on.

-I think if we put an estimate on of perhaps £60 to £100...

-Yes.

-..with a reserve of £50 and then hopefully it will make towards the top end.

-Yes, that's fine.

It's such a shame that's been on top of the wardrobe,

so it's time to find it a new home.

And talking about time, Charles has spotted a very impressive clock.

Margaret and Sue, I feel like saying ding-dong.

-Bell.

-Ding-dong, and what a belle you are, Margaret, and what a handsome clock.

-Absolutely.

-Whose is it?

-Mine.

-And you're Mother?

-Yes.

-Margaret, how many years have you had this clock?

Oh, gosh, 60, probably 70?

Yeah. Long time.

I like it a lot, because we don't often see what we call tavern clocks.

And if there's ever a clock which is the more commercial today,

it's the tavern clock.

-Oh, good.

-I also like this mahogany veneer,

which is rich and quite deep and well patinated,

within this really nice cushion moulding.

And you can see the level of age by the dirt within the crevices.

It's clearly late 18th or early 19th century.

OK? What concerned me were these square veneer pegs here.

To me, it's a country-made tavern clock.

Because these square pegs here actually support the pillar movement within.

It may have been played with a bit, because, to me,

these ought not be too obvious on the actual face of the clock.

Right. Mind you, I think it does give the clock character.

It gives it a life, yeah.

What I like is this minute finger, which is weighted -

that's original,

and I believe this finger, too, is probably original.

And of course it's something, Margaret, which, in its heyday,

with your husband, you had to wind up every day?

-Every day.

-Yeah. So it's a fairly simple 30-hour single train movement

and, looking at the movement back here,

what excites me is these little bobbins to support the train

are a treen, or a turned wood, rather than being metal, so, to me,

if I was to date this,

I would suggest it's circa 1790, as late as 1815.

And the giveaway to date is this ivory escutcheon.

That would be about 1810.

So, I like it. It needs some TLC.

So I feel, realistically, we ought to put a fixed reserve on at £400,

and put a guide price on of between £500 and £700.

And I hope that meets your approval.

Yes. It needs to go to a good home.

Yeah. Shall we shake on it?

And say, five to seven, reserve at four,

we'll be going, going, gone.

That's a great item.

It makes me think about how many people have looked at this clock

over 200 years, and kept time by it.

But while the valuations continue, I'm off to explore the Margam estate.

In its heyday, the estate ran to some 34,000 acres,

and gamekeepers were essential outdoor servants.

They maintained the pheasant and partridge stocks,

but they also had to deal with poachers who came on to the land

to find rabbits, hare and deer.

On one occasion, that led to tragedy.

On the 8th June 1898,

a young gamekeeper named Robert Scott went up onto the hills

overlooking the estate to investigate some suspicious gunshots.

He was accompanied by an under-keeper and a constable.

Scott was unarmed.

As he tracked down the poacher,

the poacher disappeared through a hole in a stone wall

and, as Scott approached,

the poacher fired at him and he got him in the face.

He then fired a second, fatal shot before disappearing without trace.

Now, I've found a report in a local newspaper archive that tells the story

of the dreadful events and the outcry it caused.

And here is a copy of the newspaper.

If I flick across, look, that is an artist's impression of the gamekeeper.

There he is, Robert Scott.

But here is the poacher. Here is the murderer, and his name was Joe Lewis.

Now, he could have got away with this,

but he started bragging and boasting to friends about the events that happened that night.

They obviously shopped him.

He was arrested and sentenced to hang in Swansea prison.

And here is an image of Swansea jail, look,

with a great big crowd gathering as the black flag was being raised.

But before he died, he wrote a letter to Scott's widow,

and here is a copy of the letter.

It says, "Dear Mrs Scott,

"I want to say to you that I sympathise with you

"in the sorrow I cause you to be in.

"What I did, I did in self-defence, and I am praying for him,

"and I hope you will forgive me.

"Yours truly, Joseph Lewis."

No-one lives on the Margam estate any more.

But it's said that the ghost of Robert Lewis now haunts this place.

What a dreadful story and a dreadful waste of a young life.

I've not spotted any ghostly figures amongst our crowd today,

but Catherine has spotted a very intriguing vase.

-It's Mark.

-It is, yes.

And you brought along this lovely Longwy vase.

And where did you get this one?

-It's through my family.

-It's a jolly nice vase.

The colours are really superb.

Lovely finish to this.

What strikes me first of all is this crackle finish

that we've got throughout,

which is very similar to a lot of the Oriental vases that you were getting of a similar period.

This probably dates to about early 20th century.

So the 19th-century vases that you had

had a very similar finish

but they were often cloisonne enamel vases.

So the vases that you had, the Oriental vases, in Japan,

they had this Oriental cloisonne finish.

And this French vase, this Longwy vase, has taken inspiration from that

and almost recreated, not with enamel,

but they've recreated that sort of finish, that cloisonne finish.

And the lovely crackle panels to the side.

It's lovely. But what I like here is this.

That really sells it to me.

This beautiful peacock on the side.

Yes. Lovely.

Super colours. The way that the tail trails behind,

you can see all those lovely colours.

One of the reasons why we know it's Longwy, apart from the decoration

which is so typical of the French factory,

-is the impressed mark underneath.

-I didn't see that.

It's so faint but you can just about make out the L and the O for Longwy.

Longwy and go right back to the 17th century,

when the factory was east of Paris.

Unfortunately, this piece doesn't go back quite that far.

We are looking more early 20th century, so perhaps 1910,

something like that. Now, price.

You've had enough of it on your mantelpiece?

It hasn't been out. It's been wrapped up.

-Has it?

-In the garage, so...

-In the garage?

Oh, right, so it really is time to move it on.

Well, I think we should put about £80 to £120 on it at auction,

perhaps with a reserve of about £70.

-How does that sound to you?

-Fine.

-Are you happy to sell it at that?

-Yes, thank you, yes.

-This really is a stunning piece

and the peacock on it just does it for me.

Well, there you are. Our experts have been very busy.

They've now found their first three items to take off to auction.

But before we do that,

I want to tell you about another worker who was very busy here on the estate.

In 1802, Lord Nelson came to visit

and it was the responsibility of the duty gardener

to show him and his party around the orangery.

Nelson had such a marvellous time,

he gave the gardener a three-shilling tip.

Now, that was a lot of money back in the day.

Let's hope our owners have as much luck as we now go off to auction

for the first time.

And here's a quick reminder of all the items that are

going under the hammer.

Patricia's hand-embroidered sampler has taken hours of painstaking work.

It's time, gentlemen, please, for Margaret's tavern clock.

And Mark's Longwy vase has been liberated from the garage

and is bound to make an impact in the saleroom.

We're heading to Cardiff for today's auction.

Its wealth was built on its busy port,

but Cardiff Bay has undergone a huge makeover in recent years

and it's now an important cultural centre.

Well, the sun's shining. I've got a good feeling about today.

It's going to be a good day. We could have one or two big surprises.

We are putting our valuations to the test

right here at Rogers Jones & Co,

one of the oldest auction rooms in Wales,

and it's a family run business.

We're going inside to catch up with our owners,

and let's get on with the action.

There are plenty of potential bidders milling around,

and Ben Rogers Jones is on the rostrum,

so let's crack on with our first lot.

It's the sampler, beautifully hand-stitched

by 12-year-old Mary Perrott almost 170 years ago.

-Oh, do you feel sad for selling this?

-A little bit.

A little bit. But it's something you want to do,

because it's been on top of the wardrobe?

-Yes.

-And no-one else in the family wants it?

-No.

That's not your fault, is it?

Isn't that lovely that we've got Patricia here,

-and it relates directly to her family?

-It's going under the hammer right now.

A good sampler here.

Straight in I go at 50.

-60, online.

-Oh, good, if it's online.

70 in the States on the phone.

80 online, 90, 100.

I'm so pleased. You've got a phone bid on it.

110, 120. 130 on the phone.

140 online.

50 online...

They might be your distant relations buying it!

70, 80, 90, 200.

-220.

-This is really good.

-240. 260.

-They're bidding in the States.

Lovely sampler. 280, second thoughts online.

280, come on, come on.

-Push it a bit more.

-£300.

Yes!

This is wonderful. I'm so pleased.

-This is wonderful.

-Last call at 300.

Hammer's going down. Well, at least we didn't give it away.

-£300.

-Thank you very much.

Because sometimes they can be a bit iffy,

but what's nice about that one is the pictures, the animals.

It had everything, didn't it?

And now it's gone.

I feel sad. I'm more upset than you are!

That was five times what we expected,

and it's heading for a new home in America,

where it will be given pride of place.

Next is the quirky vase with the very distinctive decoration.

It belongs to Mark.

Not for much longer, at 80 to 120.

It's a come and buy me, isn't it?

Yes, it's got everything going for it.

Why are you selling it?

I can't put it out anywhere, because it's just too small, the house.

-Oh, is it?

-I've only got a bungalow, so...

-Right, so you are kind of decluttering a bit.

-Yes.

OK, right, it's got to sell.

We're going to put it under the hammer. This is it. Good luck.

Wonderfully decorated Longwy faience ware vase.

-I'm straight in at £50.

-50...

And 60, and 70, and 80 and 90, 100.

-Oh, good!

-110.

-Oh, lovely!

-At 120, 120.

In Belgium. 130, 140, 150, 160...

It's the handles, Paul.

OK, Belgium, you're out. 170.

The UK has it online at 170.

Is everybody done at 170?

Here we go, at 170.

And the hammer's up.

-£170.

-Yes!

-Well done.

Well done, you, Catherine, as well.

Thank you for bringing that in, Mark.

Well, I think the elephant handles swung it.

Now it's the tavern clock.

These were also known as Act of Parliament clocks,

after a tax levied on clocks by William Pitt,

the Prime Minister in 1797.

I've just been joined by Margaret and Susan, mum and daughter,

and our expert, Charles.

We're putting that lovely Act of Parliament clock,

the tavern clock, under the hammer.

And the value was 500 to 700.

-Indeed.

-The auctioneer has reduced that value.

He thinks it was a little bit too high.

-He's put 400 to 600.

-Indeed.

With a reserve at 400, still, but you've upped the reserve to 450.

So it's gone backwards and forwards and backwards and forwards,

all for the sake of £50, and I'm pretty sure this will sell.

-I hope so.

-I reckon we'll all be right at the end of the day, don't you?

-I hope you're right.

-OK, here we go, ding-dong, this is it.

I've got to start, it starts with me at £300.

At 320 online, 40, with me, 60, 80, 400, and 20.

We're going to sell it.

-Ding-dong.

-440. 460 on the phone.

-Yes, we've done it!

-480 online.

-Right, here we go.

-500 on the phone.

Anybody in the room now?

550? 600.

I'm taking two first.

OK, I won't forget you, sir. 650.

-700.

-700!

It's all ticking. It's all ticking.

800. And 50.

-Brilliant!

-900.

-And 50.

-Make it the big one.

-Yes, £1,000!

-£1,100.

The phone is out. £1,100.

Before it goes, then, all done?

-£1,100.

-£1,100.

That gavel went down, and that was a sold sound.

And that's the beauty of an auction.

-That's why we love them!

-Yes!

I don't think any of us were expecting that.

It made more than twice its estimate.

Hopefully someone has the right place to show it off.

Well, there you are - so far, so good.

That's our first three lots under the hammer.

I just love auctions.

You know, it's not just about the value, it's not the price,

it's about the stories behind all of these items.

Each one has a unique story.

Before we find some more antiques,

there's something I want to show you. Just down the road from here,

there's a place called St Fagans National History Museum.

It's unique because it doesn't just focus on the great and the good,

it focuses on ordinary people.

And that's what I love.

Since 1948,

buildings of special interest from all over Wales have been carefully

taken apart and reassembled on this site near Cardiff.

Every brick, slate and piece of timber is numbered so it can be

reconstructed exactly as it was.

The oldest domestic buildings here date back to the 15th century,

like this traditional Welsh farmhouse from mid-Wales,

which gives us a glimpse of how people lived in rural communities

some 500 years ago.

But the buildings that I've come to see today give us an insight

into our industrial past.

Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales

was a boom town of the Industrial Revolution.

In 1800, a new terrace of houses was built at Rhyd-y-Car

for the town's ironworkers.

But by the early 1980s, the terrace was derelict and facing demolition.

The National History Museum stepped in to rescue part of the original

terrace for a unique project.

The idea was to use the fabric and interiors of these buildings

to shed a light on the lives of the people who had lived in them.

What made this so special was the history spanned almost 200 years,

from the early 1800s when they were first built, right up to 1985.

Six houses, numbers 17 to 22, were carefully reconstructed here.

The interior of each house represents a specific year in its history,

and the first one dates to 1805.

It has one multipurpose room, a small rear bedroom and one upstairs.

I like this. I like this place a lot, actually.

It's got a good feel about it.

What strikes me about it is, it's very rustic, yet it's in an urban setting.

So the couple that originally lived here came from the countryside.

They moved to the area to find employment in the ironworks,

like many other people.

So the furniture they brought with them was traditional Welsh furniture.

It's all handcrafted. It's beautiful.

It's a multifunctional room.

Everything in here has a purpose.

Now, the fireplace, not only a focal point in this little room,

but it keeps you warm.

That's your source of central heating for the whole house.

You did your cooking on there and you boiled up the water to make a cup of tea

in that massive, great big old iron kettle.

And if you wanted a bath, well, you had a tin bath.

That would be hanging up on the outside wall, out back.

You plonked it down there, filled it up with water,

heated it up and jumped in it.

'At this time, the windows of the houses didn't open.

'The lack of ventilation meant that disease quickly spread.'

Now, a local newspaper article at the time said that the streets were in a state of disgusting filth,

abounding in fermenting and putrefying substances,

equally offensive to decency and injurious to public health.

Now, due to the lack of sanitation, and overcrowding,

cholera struck in Merthyr Tydfil in 1849.

Now, sadly, in Rhyd-y-Car Terrace alone, five people died.

It says here, in the surrounding area, 884 people also lost their lives.

The third house in Rhyd-y-Car Terrace

shows the impact of the Industrial Revolution on people's lives.

Now, this house dates to 1895 and, as you can see instantly,

it's completely different.

It's absolutely full of things.

This is the Victorian age.

The era of mass production.

Industry moving at full tilt.

And it's the first time that working-class people could afford things.

Not just practical, functional things, but decorative things,

as you can see here, look.

Loads of jugs hanging up, polished brasses,

Staffordshire flatback figures, all the rage back then.

Country pottery. It's all very, very homely.

But I'd like to hear about the actual people who lived in these houses,

with the person responsible for the project,

former director of the museum, Dr Eurwyn William.

What sort of people lived here?

Well, the houses were originally built for ironworkers,

and they were the creme de la creme of the working class, if you like.

Dangerous occupation but very well paid.

But from about 1850 to 1860,

the majority of the men worked in the coal mines.

So, you know, lower paid, so it was a quite difficult lifestyle, I think.

Now, you've got some photographs of people that lived in the original terrace.

Can you talk me through some of them?

Yes, surely. These are two sisters, Bessie and Letitia Thomas.

These are studio photographs from about 1900.

-So this is 1900?

-This is 1900.

And they lived next door but one to each other, in the terrace,

for the whole of their lives.

Oh, that's lovely! So they looked after each other?

Yes, Bessie, number 18, Letitia, number 20.

And here they are again in 1945.

Oh, look at that!

This is Bessie, and this is Letitia,

celebrating the end of the Second World War.

And these two lived next door but one to each other all their lives.

-Don't they look alike?

-They look exactly the same.

-Isn't that lovely?

-But one of them, Bessie, in fact,

she was one of the last inhabitants of the terrace and she was still

living here in her 90s, in the 1970s.

-Oh, how sweet.

-Yes.

This chap, Tom Davies, from number 17, 9st in weight,

and he was a professional wrestler and a strongman.

-Oh, I see!

-Yes, he was professionally known as Saldo.

My favourite of all the many dozens, perhaps hundreds,

of photographs we have gathered is this one.

These are the children of Rhyd-y-Car

in front of one of the tips which surrounded the terrace.

That's a lovely group shot.

This is late Victorian.

And the donkey is significant,

because there were so many donkeys used for transport and so on

in the terrace that, to the rest of the inhabitants of Merthyr,

Rhyd-y-Car was known as Donkey Town!

Oh, was it? How sweet!

Look at all those people together.

One community, looking after each other.

Yes.

By 1955, Britain was rebuilding itself as a modern post-war nation.

In Merthyr Tydfil, heavy industry was replaced by manufacturing,

and the terrace reflects this modern era.

The outdoor shed is now a kitchen with practical, modern furniture,

which means the sitting room can be used for relaxing and socialising.

Long gone are the traditional pieces of Welsh furniture, all handcrafted.

What we have here, mass-produced pieces of furniture.

Still in oak, but lightened up and softened in style.

Not so heavy. Here is the fireplace, look.

Not that pretty.

No longer the focal point of the sitting room.

That space now belongs to this, ta-da!

The TV set. That is the future.

The final house in the terrace dates to 1985, which isn't that long ago,

but it really shows how much this community had changed.

It doesn't look remotely Welsh.

We're not in Merthyr Tydfil any more.

This could be anywhere in the UK.

Look at this. It's full of things you could buy

on any high street in Britain. We could be in Basildon in Essex.

Look. Fish and chips on the G Plan furniture.

My mum and dad had an electric fireplace just like that

with a couple of bars, and if it was really cold, you put both bars on.

Yeah, this is familiar,

but there's something rather special in the kitchen I want to show you,

so come through here.

Right, here we are.

The fully fitted kitchen.

Something we're all familiar with.

But this is the piece de resistance. This is what I wanted to show you.

Are you ready for this?

Here we go.

Ta-da! Look at that.

No longer do you have a bath in the front room in an old tub.

You can now have a bath in the kitchen!

So you can sit in there, saying, "Mum?

"Make us a cup of tea!"

She hasn't got far to bring it.

This terrace could've been knocked down and lost for ever.

I'm so glad it was saved.

Now, compared to a castle or a magnificent stately home,

it may seem insignificant and uninteresting,

but the fabric of these buildings,

the items inside them and the people who lived here

all have a fascinating story to tell.

It goes way beyond this terrace.

These homes are about the story of all of us.

What a fantastic place.

It's exactly the kind of history that fascinates me.

So time to return to the valuation day

to see what other stories and items our experts have uncovered.

And it looks like Charles is in the mood for a holiday.

Sometimes, to me, a happy holiday is finding something that just has that

within its make-up. And these badges have that, don't they?

-Tell me about them.

-Yes, well, I was a Butlin's Redcoat in 1967.

I collected a few badges on the way

and at the end of the season I had 96 different ones.

So, back in the '60s, you were a Redcoat at Minehead.

I'd always dance.

And I did magic, so put that down on my form, and they said start May 21.

And these badges are part of your story.

And it's a lovely collection.

I can see Skegness Butlin's.

There's only one of Blackpool, which is very rare.

And then we've got three Christmas ones.

And then we've got Scottish ones

and Ayr, Ireland.

When was the golden age for Butlin's?

'60s, early '70s.

But then people started feeling they had jobs, they had the car,

they had the money and in came the foreign holiday and then...

I always think I'd make a good Redcoat.

-You could do, yes.

-Would I pass?

-You would have no bother!

-Thanks a lot, yeah.

-Thanks a lot. And that wasn't pre-prepared, was it?

-No.

Thanks a lot.

There's another badge here

which was a benefit of a second week at Butlin's. I mean, what a luxury.

How many badges are here?

There's 96 different ones.

96. My value with a view to auction would be between £50 and £80.

-Is that OK with you?

-Yes, fine.

-Fantastic.

I think we'd put a reserve on of maybe, say £40,

just to protect them, and hopefully we'll see a good sale.

What an unusual collection.

It's a real slice of nostalgia.

So let's hope it brings back memories for the bidders in the auction.

And it looks like Catherine has found something equally quirky.

Linda, you've got a charming pair of little clockwork toys here.

Tell me where you got them from.

My sister and I had them when we were children,

so they are about 65 years old.

And we had them as a gift from my uncle,

who was in the Merchant Navy, and he used to travel around the world,

and wherever he went, he used to bring us a little something back.

-He used to bring you a little gift?

-Yes, and he brought us these.

Because these date back to the '50s.

About 1950.

So you were given them as a child.

-That's right. Yes.

-Shall we have a little go and see if they work?

Let's try him first.

Oh, look at that.

He does move, actually. I think it's because of the velvet that he's not.

Well, we won't let him walk.

We'll let him just play his drums.

And do you remember playing with them as a child?

Because they are in lovely condition.

They are in lovely condition and that's probably because we weren't

allowed to play with them as a child.

-You weren't? You were given them and then they were put away in the cabinet?

-In the cabinet, yes.

But we did have them out now and again and played with them and we really

-enjoyed playing with them.

-So, which one belonged to you?

Mine's that one, with the violin.

My sister had the one with the drum.

Right, OK.

Well, they're lovely and they are made by Schuco, a German factory,

founded in 1912 in Nuremberg.

And these are made out of tin plate, but they're clockwork.

But the clothes are absolutely immaculate, these wonderful felt clothes.

In lovely condition.

Schuco carried on producing toys throughout the years.

They stopped in the '70s when they went bankrupt,

but have then come back into fashion

and they are still actually producing toys today.

Oh, I didn't realise that.

Still producing toys today. It is a good factory.

Now, this one hasn't got its key.

No. So they have to share the key.

They have to share the key. So they need to stay together.

-Yes.

-So, it all comes down to price.

And we want to keep them together.

I would suggest an estimate of about 80 to 120

with a reserve on of £80.

Are you happy with that?

I'd like to put it up a little bit more.

-Do you think that would...

-I'm very happy to do that.

What sort of price would you like?

90 or 100 for the two?

Shall we say 100 to 150

with perhaps a £90 reserve?

Are you happier with that?

-Yes.

-Right, OK.

Right, let's give his little friend a little go.

I think this is the nicer one, actually.

I think you got the better deal.

-There he goes.

-They're cute, aren't they?

-Very cute.

They're nicer than the toys we get today, aren't they?

And let's hope they cause lots of amusement at the auction.

I hope so.

While the valuations continue in the shadow of Margam Castle,

we're actually lucky to have this as a backdrop

because on 4th August 1977,

the castle hit the headlines in a very dramatic way.

While work was being carried out on the house,

the lower-ground floor caught fire.

The flames spread rapidly and, within minutes,

engulfed the entire house.

And in amongst our research area here,

within this part of the old ruin,

we have one of the firefighters, Mike Osborne.

Pleased to meet you. Thank you for coming in today.

So, how bad was the fire that day?

When we arrived, the ground floor was well alight.

It had gone through the ceiling, through the upper floors.

That was quite spectacular because flames were coming out the window

and licking up the outside walls.

Eventually it went through the roof,

which collapsed into the fire.

The heat must have been intense.

Very much so. Because you had the smoke, the heat,

the hot embers coming up with the heat.

In addition, you had the steam from the water application.

All this represented difficulties in seeing what was happening.

Once you got the fire under control and it was sort of smouldering,

what was it like seeing this historic building in such a state?

It was so sad to see this piece of local history, culture, heritage

going up in smoke, as it were. That was sad.

All firemen, as far as I'm concerned, are heroes.

You risk your lives to save other people's lives and you've partly saved this building, which is great.

-So thanks to you.

-Glad to be of help!

While I've been talking to Mike, our valuations continued.

We need one more item to take to auction

and Charles has found a wee pig that is far from home.

Sharon, I often wonder, what is a Scottish pig doing here in Wales?

Ah, mystery.

-I wouldn't know.

-How did you acquire him?

I bought him in a church fair for £4 about two years ago.

-Really?

-Bargain!

-You saw him and you thought, ah, I know.

-Wemyss.

-Hopefully.

-That magical word.

The factory began in 1882,

when Karel Nekola and Robert Heron got together and they put this factory together.

The name was based on the local big family,

the Wemyss family at the castle.

By 1930,

they had stopped and the rights to these pigs had been sold to a factory on the south coast.

So, hello, pig.

Let's have a look at you.

What I love about him first of all is, the ears are in good condition.

There are a few minor little signs of wear on the tips.

I love what appear to be almost clovers.

And I look in the crevices to make sure there's a level of wear

to suggest this pig's been around 125, 130 years.

And the body is good, but there's no tail!

-No.

-There's no tail.

-Sorry about that.

-What happened?

It was like that when I bought it.

And just in the crevice down here, you can barely see,

-have you found it yet?

-My husband found it but I find it hard to see.

But there is a number as well and it looks like a double-S on the end.

Yeah, that is your Wemyss mark.

So, in that regard, I'm quite happy it does come from the Fife factory.

And if I was to date him,

I would say that your Wemyss pig would date to around 1900 -

1910 at the very latest.

I like him. How much do you like him?

Well, I like him, but, you know... I'd like to sell him!

Is it time he goes to a Welsh market?

Yes, I think so.

We can ask that question, how much is that pig in the window?

With our problem, he's without the...

-Waggly tail! ALL:

-Waggly tail!

-Exactly, I like that a lot, yeah, yeah.

I think the tail will affect value.

But even so, he is commercial.

And my instinct would be between 150 and 250.

-Right.

-Put the reserve at about £120.

-Yes.

-Does that figure meet your approval?

Yes, it's more than £4, so it's fine!

It just... It just shows, doesn't it, what you can still find.

But he isn't the one with the...

-ALL:

-Waggly tail.

-Thank you very much.

Lovely.

If anyone spots that missing tail, do let us know.

Will that hold the Wemyss pig back?

We'll find out soon.

You've just seen them -

our experts have now found their final items to take off to auction.

Let's hope it's going to be a productive day.

We need top money in the saleroom right now.

And here's a quick recap of all the items we're taking with us,

as we say goodbye to our magnificent host location.

But right now, we've got some unfinished business to do in the auction room.

Donald's collection of Butlin's holiday camp badges

from all over the UK.

Linda and her sister's pair of German clockwork toys.

And this decorative Wemyss piggy is heading to market.

Back at the auction room,

Ben Rogers Jones is holding the fort on the rostrum.

It's been a hectic sale today, so let's crack on with our first lot,

the Butlin's badges.

This is a first on "Flog It!".

We've never sold a collection, or had a collection,

of Butlin's badges on this show.

They belong to Donald, who is right next to me.

Did you get into collecting badges because you were a Redcoat, then?

Well, yes.

I didn't know I had so many until the end of the season

when I put them together, and they've been in a tin ever since.

And now you want to sell them. OK.

They capture a moment.

They do. Not a lot of money, but here we go.

This lovely Butlin's... Wonderful collection.

I'm straight in at £70.

A bid, sir? Five, I've got £80.

Five, and 90.

Five, 100.

£100. Is there ten?

110, your bid.

Before you, 120, 130, 140, 150.

-£150...

-This is fantastic.

Wonderful.

Yes. I won't forget you, sir. At 180.

-Get that coat back on.

-200. 220.

220!

240, 260. 260.

At 260 online.

Just a happy facet of history,

but the public... The sun's shining on us.

Yes, and it's still going strong.

At 280, 280, 300.

-300.

-Wonderful!

Is there 20? At £300.

At £300.

Yes!

-£300.

-Well done.

That was a great price. I mean, there were a lot of badges there.

And good on you for collecting them. Good on you.

It's great to see Donald's collection fetch such a good price.

It's obviously brought back holiday memories for someone.

And now it's the pair of quirky tinplate toys.

These are great fun and in mint condition.

We've got two of them right now, belonging to Linda.

One was your sister's and one was yours.

-That's right.

-And you're selling them together,

which I think's really nice because, whoever buys them,

hopefully will keep them together.

They will be lonely without each other, won't they?

We want them to go together.

And who have you brought along with you today?

My granddaughters and my daughter.

They're over there, look, give us a wave.

Lots of moral support!

These are great, aren't they?

Really good.

You must have hardly ever played with these because they're in such good condition and working.

They're going under the hammer now. This is it.

These wonderful Schuco clockwork felt-covered figures.

-This is it.

-70 to start?

At £70, is there five?

At 75, 80, five, 90, five, your bid.

95, 100 bid.

-Is there ten?

-110 now.

Is there 20 online?

-110.

-You can get sentimental now.

At 110, here we go.

110. They've gone.

£110.

Hopefully they're going to stay together and go to a good home.

-Yes.

-I think so.

And thank you for bringing them in,

because we've had hours of fun with those at the valuation.

I think it's the condition of these that has paid off.

That's exactly what collectors want.

Now it's the turn of the Wemyss pig.

No-one has turned up with his tail yet, so will that put the bidders off?

Why are you selling your Wemyss pig?

It's not that I've gone off it, it's just sort of, you know...

I'm waiting to build a wall, and the funds will go towards it.

Right, OK, and that's a really good starting point.

I tell you what, picking that up for four quid is a bargain,

-even with a bit of damage. You don't care.

-It's a great find.

Well, OK, let's try it, shall we, Charles?

Here we go. This is it.

This charming Wemyss pig.

-Bids all over the place, from all over the country.

-Hold tight!

I'm straight in at £700.

-Unbelievable!

-Is there 50?

At 750, at 780, 800 or nine?

At £800.

Would you like 50?

50 on the phone.

850. 900.

£900. 950, new phone now.

-At 950.

-950.

-I can't believe it.

I can't, actually. Considering the tail is damaged.

-Would you like 11?

-Very good spot for £4.

-At £1,100?

-I can't believe that.

Is there 12 now? At £1,200.

Why not? What's £100?

-Yeah, why not?

-£1,300, at £1,300 for the little pig.

What did you put on this, Charles?

-It's a lot of money.

-What did you put on it?

-100 to 200.

Because the condition is wonderful.

At £1,400, have we all done?

At £1,400, here it goes.

I can't believe it.

I really can't believe it.

-What did you put on it?

-100 to 200, and it had legs.

-Literally.

-Amazing.

What do you think about that?

-I'm shaking.

-That is fantastic!

-Well done.

Thank you so much.

Oh, wow, what a way to end today's show.

What a surprise. We never saw that coming.

I didn't see that coming either.

I was with you on that value.

You never know. We can never stop learning on this show.

And I hope you don't, too.

Join us again for many more surprises but, until then, it's goodbye.